INTERWEB administrator's Verisign has been awarded a patent for a service that helps Internet users find sites when they mistype addresses.

The news sparked fears that Verisign was thinking of dusting off its Site Finder service, which was shut down because it was so annoying.

Verisign used to list likely alternatives, including pay-for-placement listings. The problem was that the paid for alternatives, which were often nothing like your typo, ended up at the top of the list.

Other companies were miffed as Verisign was the keeper of the traffic-control directories containing all ".com" and ".net" names and knew where everyone was.

Verisign axed the service and, in spite of winning the patent, said that it has no plans to start it again. µ

L'Inq
AP